An award-winning architecture, design, and consulting firm based in the Hamptons and Manhattan, New York.

Lacaton Vassal

Tour Bois le Prêtre - Paris 17 - Druot (2011)

Built in the early sixties along the ring road of Paris, this high rise block of 16 storeys includes 96 apartments. The demolition, firstly envisaged, has been avoided and a project of transformation decided. The project propose a generous extension of the apartments.New floors, built as a self-supporting structure, are added on the periphery of the existing building at every floor, to extend the living rooms, create closeable terrasses and balconies. The existing facades with small windows will be removed and replaced by large transparent openings, so that the inhabitants will profit of the exceptionnal view on Paris all around.

Completed at half the cost of demolition and new build, this is an exemplary lesson in harnessing clever thinking and ingenuity to transform neglected parts of our cities."

The apartment was made of all prefabricated parts so that all tenants could stay in their homes during renovation.